Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has insisted that Alejandro Garnacho "is doing the right things" following fresh criticism of the attacker for his display against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
Garnacho struggled to make his mark in his side's 1-0 defeat at the City Ground, and the 20-year-old has only found the back of the net on one occasion in the Premier League since the middle of November.
The Argentina international has nine goals and eight assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Man United this term, but there is currently widespread speculation surrounding his future.
Amorim has said that Garnacho "needs to improve" in a number of areas, and there remain question marks surrounding his suitability for Man United's 3-4-3 system under their new head coach.
"I think he is doing the right things. Like any player in our team, he has to choose better in the last third. Bruno [Fernandes] is the only one scoring goals easily. Garnacho needs to improve the way he runs, the way he defends, scores and assists. He is improving," Amorim told reporters during his press conference on Friday afternoon.
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Amorim insists Garnacho "is doing the right things"
Garnacho was heavily linked with a move away from Man United during the January transfer window, with Chelsea and Napoli both believed to be interested in his services.
The youngster's future is again being called into question ahead of the summer window, with Napoli said to have recently made a £67m offer for his services.
Atletico are also believed to be tracking their former academy player, with Man United reluctantly open to selling him during this summer's transfer window for financial reasons.
Indeed, any sale of Garnacho would count as pure profit under the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules, placing the club in a strong position to boost their squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
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Should Man United sell Garnacho this summer?
Garnacho is an excellent talent, and Man United are often a better side with him in it, but his wastefulness in the final third of the field has been a problem for the Red Devils, and that was again shown on Tuesday night.
The South American's ball-carrying abilities make him a huge threat, but his best work comes as a wide player, and that is no longer a position that exists in Amorim's Man United side.
Garnacho is highly unlikely to be considered for the left-sided wing-back role, meaning that his only route into the XI comes as one of the number 10s, and he is struggling to get used to that position.
Man United must back Amorim, and if that means selling Garnacho, then some difficult decisions will need to be made this summer, but the Red Devils would want serious money for the talented youngster.
Garnacho arrived at Old Trafford from Atletico in 2020, and he has represented the 20-time English champions on 132 occasions in all competitions, scoring 24 goals and registering 17 assists in the process.
Matt Law
